HURRY and HELP.... Print sizes - DPChallenge Forums

02/10/2005 05:18:05 PM · #1

Just curious...

I have a family wanting a group portrait done of 22 family members as a 16x20 print size. Is this possible with Canon 20D?????????? I have never done anything larger than 8x10. Those are super nice, but this one will be printed by pro photo printing shop. I just want to make sure before I go through with this that it is possible with good results.

BYork
//www.BigDPhoto.com

GoldBerry

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

02/10/2005 05:19:35 PM · #2

Yes, of course! The size of the print is basically limited by your own ability and what lens you put on it. The 20D could do a somewhat-grainy billboard if you put a kick*ss lens on it :-)

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

02/10/2005 05:24:15 PM · #3

Given a billboard is normally about 9 to 18 dpi, this isn't that amazing ;)

A 20D is more resolution than most billboards need... The trick is you have to look at it from a long way away.

For 22 people the harder part will be posing, lighting, getting everyone not blinking, etc etc. Your camera, with a good enough lens and technique is well up to the job.

Message edited by author 2005-02-10 17:24:59.

Ecce_Signum

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

02/10/2005 05:27:28 PM · #4

A 20D *drool* 22 people, decent lighting and a whistle would make a great 16*20 print ;)

Brad

Olympus OM-D E-M1

Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO M.Zuiko

02/10/2005 05:31:20 PM · #5

Absolutely - I would be amazed if it couldn't!
If I can get 20x30" prints (clean too) out of my 3.7MP Olympus, the 20D should be good for a wall-sized print.

A few examples:

20x30" approved

16x24" approved

16x20" approved

Message edited by author 2005-02-10 17:32:01.

jimmythefish

Canon EOS-10D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

02/10/2005 05:31:51 PM · #6

I was gonna say something similar to Gordon. Use a flash, stop down to F8 or more so everyone's in good focus, use a tripod and a remote cable release (if possible) so that you can communicate more directly with them all, and above all take LOTS of shots. The more you take the more chances you have of getting everyone looking at the camera. Kids are epecially bad for this. If there are kids under 5 you might need a separate person near the camera doing some crazy stuff just to get them all looking at the camera.

Shoot wide rather than telephoto. Usially something 35mm-40mm (35mm equivalent) for a group like that gives you more contact with everyone without distorting anything too much.

Don't be afraid to do a composite of several images if you don't get everyone doing what you want in one shot. This is a good reason for using a tripod.

Message edited by author 2005-02-10 17:33:05.

rex

Canon PowerShot SD780

02/10/2005 05:47:54 PM · #7

You have a Canon couldn't you do a Panoramic then stitch it together with Canons software.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

02/10/2005 05:54:01 PM · #8

I regularly print 13x19 off my Nikon 5700 prosumer with excellent results. This should not be a problem.

Robt.

suprada

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC for Canon

02/10/2005 05:55:29 PM · #9

Hey BradP,

How do you get 16"x20" prints from a 3.7MP camera shot? I have been looking at printing labs and they require 5MP for a 9"x12" print. Do you use some kind of software which boosts the MPs after the shot is taken?
If so what do you use?

Sups

nsbca7

Mattel Barbie Photo Designer Digital Camera

02/10/2005 05:56:52 PM · #10

I get extremly sharp 16x20s out of my rebel.

sher

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

02/10/2005 06:01:13 PM · #11

i even got a 16 x 20 of Into the Mystic from my 1.2mp Olympus by using this program SI Pro.

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

02/10/2005 06:03:35 PM · #12

I've read everywhere and from you all here that 16x20 is very possible with great results...but when I called Wolf Camera and Video, where I bought this $2115.00 package camera and 2 lens, etc....and they told me that the 20D is only good up to 8x10 prints with "decent" results. I WAS going to use them for printing, but not now!

BYork
//www.BigDPhoto.com

sher

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

02/10/2005 06:04:46 PM · #13

i got mine from DPC Prints with no problem at all.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

02/10/2005 06:06:42 PM · #14

SI Pro (a plugin from Fred Miranda for photoshop, mentioned by Sher) is absolutely miraculous. It automates the process of increasing size by gradual steps with bicubic interpolation. The results are simply unbelievable. IMO nobody needs to look any further than this pulgin if they wish to increase sharpness for larger print sizes. The "fractal" program (I forget the exact name) used to be the onmly way to go, but it is pricy and photoshop's native bicubic is so good now that the step process actually outperforms other software solutuons.

You can buy it from Fred Miranda for $20.00.

Robt.

GoldBerry

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

02/10/2005 06:06:49 PM · #15

Originally posted by Truegsht:

ppppffffbt, I'd say they're trying to sell you something but sounds like they already have. NOt sure what their motive would be, if there's no motive, then they're just being pompous. Lots of professionals (with $40k worth of gear) would probably poo-poo using a 20D. But who cares about them.

LindaLee

Canon EOS-40D

02/10/2005 07:01:39 PM · #16

Originally posted by bear_music:

I think you were referring to Genuine Fractals, which I hear is absolutely amazing and I have been lusting over it for a while. They do have an LE version now that is cheaper, but I haven't heard anything on it yet.

Niten

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

02/10/2005 07:19:59 PM · #17

Just dont forget that just like for 8x10s your going to have to leave space on the sides to lop off.

Tim

Makka

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

02/10/2005 07:26:00 PM · #18

Yes.....you will do that size easily!

Brad

Olympus OM-D E-M1

Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO M.Zuiko

02/10/2005 07:37:33 PM · #19

Originally posted by suprada:

Hey BradP,
How do you get 16"x20" prints from a 3.7MP camera shot? I have been looking at printing labs and they require 5MP for a 9"x12" print. Do you use some kind of software which boosts the MPs after the shot is taken?
If so what do you use?

Hi Sups,
This is the second request for this information now. It's a closely guarded secret family recipe - no wait - that was for the sauce. LOL

I use Photoshop 7 and essentially bring the edited & corrected image up in size at 10% increments until I have reached the pixel size I want. Along the way, I may apply a 50, 0.3, 0 USM to the lightness channel as the shot needs or warrants.

Once it's gimoungous, I check the image properties and make sure it's set for 300DPI. If not, I resize again at 300 DPI, then resize back again to the final pixel size.
I then zoom in to 400-800% and start looking closely at the pixelization. I use the blur tool manually at about 50% and smooth out the "jaggies", being careful about getting too close to sharp lines/edges. At times, the USM can create a white halo on high-contrast edges, and can be removed using the same blur method, just making it really small in diameter and going slowly up to the white halo.
This can be a very tedious process, but will work. It isn't so much making it sharp at a larger size, it's about making it clean an "jaggie" free.

I'm sure many others have secret recipes and/or software that can do much of this automatically, but spending a couple hours perfecting a shot has a certain level of self-satisfaction when it comes back approved on the first go-around.

Now if you think a couple hours is a lot, you would s**t if you knew how long I spent editing this 18,800 x 3,600 4-shot panoramic that was approved up to 60" x 12" on the first try.

nsbca7

Mattel Barbie Photo Designer Digital Camera

02/10/2005 07:44:13 PM · #20

Originally posted by GoldBerry:

Originally posted by Truegsht:
I've read everywhere and from you all here that 16x20 is very possible with great results...but when I called Wolf Camera and Video, where I bought this $2115.00 package camera and 2 lens, etc....and they told me that the 20D is only good up to 8x10 prints with "decent" results. I WAS going to use them for printing, but not now!

BYork
//www.BigDPhoto.com

ppppffffbt, I'd say they're trying to sell you something but sounds like they already have. NOt sure what their motive would be, if there's no motive, then they're just being pompous. Lots of professionals (with $40k worth of gear) would probably poo-poo using a 20D. But who cares about them.

The tech or sales clerk you talked at Wolf Camera probably had a few problems in the past with someone shooting in min res jpg mode and wanting it blown up big. The thing with a place like Wolf is if they blow up your picture and it looks blurry, or fuzzy, or pixelated you don't have to pay for it. They eat it. My advice is to talk to the manager. I know for a fact that Wolf can and will blow up anything you want as big as they are capable of blowing it up regardless of what imaging device the image came from. You should easily be able to get some crisp 20x30 inch prints out of a 8Mp DSLR.

gaurawa

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

02/10/2005 07:45:37 PM · #21

I recently got a 20x30 print approved for this photograph

taken with 10D at 3048x2024 pixels and then upsized using CS picking the bicubic-smoother algorithm and finally some USM.

02/10/2005 08:00:57 PM · #22

I've got CS but don't know about the bicubic-smoother...how and where do I start with that?

gaurawa

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

02/10/2005 08:03:08 PM · #23

Originally posted by Truegsht:

I've got CS but don't know about the bicubic-smoother...how and where do I start with that?

Image -> Image size
In the pop-up window look at the last option box which says "Resample" and select "Bicubic Smoother"